The End of Eternity
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1955
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Standalone Asimov time-travel novel, often called his best, praised for a tight, not-too-long plot and an ending that pulls everything together; suits readers who like thoughtful time-paradox sci-fi over space opera.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The story of temporal engineers who meta-regulate the history of humanity through the centuries, eliminating risk, adventure, and space travel in the process. One man rebels in order to save the existence of someone he loves, and in the end the time bureaucracy is destroyed for the sake of individuality and human achievement. The theme is the opposite of the Foundation stories, where the central planners and manipulators of humanity always dominate.
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…possible future looks like should humans get mind uploading technology) A Critique of Democracy (recommended if you want to have a chance of winning bar arguments, not the best for deeper thinking) The End of Eternity (fun sci-fi from Asimov) The Three-Body Problem (book 1 of (I found out after starting (again)) 3 -- good enough that I'll read the next two, but not good enough that I had to go out and get the second…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…paradoxes and has some reconciliation method where e.g. new changes overwrite older ones. The best deep dive I've read on how this would work is the twist ending of Isaac Asimov's excellent story The End of Eternity. https://www.amazon.com/The-End-of-Eternity/dp/B08CFWPQW9/
on “Breaking the warp barrier: solitons in Einstein–Maxwell-plasma theory (2021)” ↗Makes me think of https://arstechnica.com/science/2014/01/detecting-time-trave... And also Asimov's classic End of Eternity https://ia800500.us.archive.org/13/items/calibre_library_68.... where a time traveller who overshoots his target and winds up too far in the past posts a classified on March 28, 1932 with a picture…
on “Quote Origin: I had exactly four seconds and Google had told me it wasn’t enough” ↗…of feelings, emotions, thought patterns. There's the smell of a printed book. I love Asimov. I, Robot is easy because it's a collection of very short stories, but it risks being seen as shallow. The End of Eternity is considered Asimov's best novel, and it's not too long. I hear good things about The Last Question. Foundation is lovely. Be right back, going to buy more Asimov.
on “Why read Dostoevsky? A programmer's perspective” ↗The same to me, Asimov influenced me a lot. Also, IMHO, he is one of the best Sci-Fi writer ever and one of his best book is The End of Eternity.
on “Isaac Asimov: The Last Answer” ↗In Isaac Asimov's "End of Eternity" he posed a similar concept where contrary to the butterfly effect where minor changes ripple through time, time has a mechanism of self-preservation which is resistant to change. Asimov never ceases…
on “Paradox-free time travel is theoretically possible” ↗This is one of my favorite plot devices in science fiction. See Asimov's drastically underrated The End of Eternity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_Eternity http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/101698/Asimov%2C%20Isaac%20-%20Th...
…opera bias, combined with all the choices being the "obvious" ones. For example, two Asimov books are on there. Both are his two most famous books, and both are quite space opera-y. I would argue that End of Eternity was his best work and deserves a listing before either of those. Unfortunately, not as many people are aware of it. In the case of Necromancer though I have to disagree with you. I think that it has…
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗Had not heard of that one. The notion of a shadow organization trying to control the course of humanity is very old. Asimov gave it a shot with "The End of Eternity" which has an amazing final chapter IMHO. But of course the concept is much older than that too.
on “The U.S. Government Has a Secret System for Stalling Patents” ↗The End of Eternity and Nightfall (the novel with Robert Silverberg, not the short story) are Asimov's greatest novels.
on “Alien life could thrive in ancient star clusters” ↗If you've read all the Foundation + Robots stuff, there are 2 more Asimov books I've found that also have some allusions/references to the Foundation universe: 1) The End of Eternity (Again plays with the idea of a "babysitter" organization for the world -- like foundation/2nd foundation was but in a totally different manner, and in the end has some references to the Foundation universe).…
on “Isaac Asimov: Man of 7,560,000 Words (1969)” ↗Pfff, The End of Eternity is obviously the best Asimov book :) edit: and probably the best time travel novel as well
on “Isaac Asimov on How to Be Prolific” ↗…with them. She did not pick that choice, although you could argue that knowing she did not pick that choice, she did not pick that choice (return to nihilist square one, the only square). Asimov's The End of Eternity deals much better with time travel and information about future timelines. IMHO.
on “Quick, How Might the Alien Spacecraft Work?” ↗Also recommended: Palimpsest by Charlie Stross. It's an interesting take on Asimov's End of Eternity that explores deep time like few others.
on “A step-by-step guide to our solar system’s demise” ↗…year, it's young-adult but thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume). I read a few Asimov's this year I hadn't gotten around to, but the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's and 'The End of Eternity'. (I primarily read to sci-fi/fantasy)
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗